The present invention relates generally to ballistic resistant or bulletproof garments and, more particularly, to a garment designed to carry body armor.
Body armor having hard and soft construction is known and has been incorporated into various types of garments. Such garments are used to provide protection from blunt action trauma and/or penetrating injuries from projectiles. Conventional garments, however, tend to be bulky and uncomfortable to wear, and tend to restrict a user""s movement. A need exists for a bulletproof garment that is effective, flexible and comfortable to use, and which exhibits additional functional advantages compared to known garments.
The present invention is designed to overcome the deficiencies of the prior art discussed above. It is an object of the present invention to provide a garment for carrying body armor that is comfortable to wear and reduces muscle fatigue of the wearer.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a garment for carrying body armor where the body armor is removably positioned within the garment.
In accordance with the illustrative embodiments demonstrating features and advantages of the present invention, there is provided a garment for carrying body armor including a shirt body having a front portion, a rear portion, and a neck portion. A plurality of pockets is formed on the front portion where the plurality of pockets is stacked upon each other. A pocket is also formed in the rear portion. At least one body armor insert is positioned within each of the pockets. The plurality of pockets includes a first panel, a second panel, and a third panel. The first panel is secured to the front portion of the shirt body in order to form a first pocket, the second panel is secured to the first panel in order to form a second pocket, and the third panel is secured to the second panel in order to form a third pocket. The first panel is removably fastened to the shirt body via complementary hook and loop fasteners secured to the first panel and to the front portion of the shirt body. The pocket formed in the rear portion of the shirt body includes a rear panel secured to the rear portion of the shirt body. The rear panel is removably fastened to the shirt body via complementary hook and loop fasteners secured to the rear panel and to the rear portion of the shirt body. The panels and shirt body are made from a combination of stretch fabric and high performance fabric thereby making the garment comfortable to wear and reducing muscle fatigue of the wearer.
Other objects, features, and advantages of the invention will be readily apparent from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment thereof taken in conjunction with the drawings.